1. academiccolab.org TM Developing SCORM Compliant Content Technical Issues and Solutions John Toews, Academic ADL Co-Lab NMC Online Conference on Learning Objects Audio Script Available At: http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/2003oct-nmc-jtoews.pdfhttp://www.academiccolab.org/resources/2003oct-nmc-jtoews.pdf

2. academiccolab.org TM Need SCORM? Don’t wait till the end of the development process! Simply implementing LMSInitialize and LMSFinish doesn’t really take advantage of SCORM! » Tracking » Moving » Locating » Sequencing

3. academiccolab.org TM Advantages? What advantages? Q: Isn’t SCORM just an added burden for content developers? A: No! SCORM allows you to do many things in a standardized way that used to be proprietary, such as bookmarking, requesting the student name or other information, tracking activity completion and scores and much more!

4. academiccolab.org TM Technical Warning! This session assumes you are… –Comfortable viewing and editing HTML and JavaScript code Example SCORM package available at http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/SCORMExa mplePackage.zip http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/SCORMExa mplePackage.zip –Familiar with SCORM Academic ADL Co-Lab SCOurse available at http://www.academiccolab.org/learn/ http://www.academiccolab.org/learn/ Understand LMSInitialize and LMSFinish, as well as LMSGetValue and LMSSetValue and some of the CMI data model

5. academiccolab.org TM SCO Granularity – How big is a SCO? It depends! From a single page, to many pages, to a “module” or entire course Should be based on the requirements of the content – reusability, communications & features implemented May find that the initial choices for SCO size are not necessarily the best

6. academiccolab.org TM SCORM Tip – Content Physical Layout Directory structure allows packaging of any number of SCOs, along with global resources that require only one instance within the development project

7. academiccolab.org TM SCORM Tip – Automating Navigation SCO content is page1.htm, page2.htm, …, pageN.htm Scripts automate the in-SCO navigation buttons and process

8. SCOurse content in LMS (SCORM application) SCOurse content in custom viewer for demos and non-SCORM applications

9. academiccolab.org TM Multi-page SCOs: The Problem..\My Documents\My Received Files\Momoneymoscroblems.jpg

10. academiccolab.org TM Multi-page SCOs: Proposed Workarounds Use a JavaScript flag variable (requires editing of every link on the page) Session cookie tracks LMSInitialize status Launch new page for content – potentially blank parent page Frameset solution – hidden frame –Example frameset package available at http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/SCORMFramesetExam ple.zip http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/SCORMFramesetExam ple.zip

11. academiccolab.org TM Multi-page SCOs: Frameset Solution

12. academiccolab.org TM SCORM API Issue Defined API usually implemented in Java applet JavaScript / Java applet scripting requires LiveConnect Popular Macintosh browsers do not implement LiveConnect (Internet Explorer, Safari)

13. academiccolab.org TM Flash Issue Defined Similar to SCORM API issue For Flash to be 100% SCORM (bi-directional communication) requires both: –LiveConnect –Flash player implementing “fscommand” Minimal SCORM functionality (outgoing communications only) more widely available – should developers use?

14. academiccolab.org TM Data Model “Issues” SCORM 1.2 doesn’t require full set of elements to be implemented (CMI data model) Useful data model elements (such as those that track activities & interactions) optional SCORM 1.3 (coming soon), will solve by requiring all data model elements

15. academiccolab.org TM Questions, etc. Threaded discussion available throughout the conference Additional resources available through iCohere Are you an Academic Co-Lab Partner? http://www.academiccolab.org/partners/ http://www.academiccolab.org/partners/ John Toews, john@academiccolab.orgjohn@academiccolab.org NMC Conference on Learning Objects, October 2003